Cell Phones

Nokia 6 (2018) Review of Pros And Cons

- Analysis by KJ David

Unveiled (or should we say, leaked?) just days before CES 2018, this 2018 follow-up model to the first Nokia 6 , which made its debut back in January of 2017, slaps on a relatively-fresh pro in terms of hardware, but pretty much suffers from the same cons.

To begin with, it features an 8-megapixel front-facing camera that no longer sounds that impressive, knowing that some tantamount smartphones with roughly-similar specs rocked at least 13-megapixel selfie cams as of this technical review. Moreover, it does not go beyond a 5.5-inch IPS 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) 16:9 display , which we consider a slight drawback, since smartphones with QHD-1440p resolutions and expansive 18:9 aspect ratios were starting to take over the high-end market prior to CES 2018.

Those weak points aside, the Nokia 6 2018's assortment of pros and cons also includes a relatively-flashy rear-facing primary camera, in the form of a 16-megapixel cam decked out with phase-detection autofocus (PDAF) and a dual-LED flash . It also delivers the Dual-view Mode , which essentially splits the screen in half so the user can access both rear and front cameras at the same time. Keep in mind, however, that some of the top-ranking camera phones go well beyond the 16-megapixel threshold. Joining its multimedia offering is Nokia's own take on the high-fidelity spatial audio technology, which it calls Nokia Space Audio , for optimizing the quality of captured audio when recording videos.

Under the hood, this 2018 edition replaces the original Nokia 6's inauspicious 1.4GHz octa-core Snapdragon 430 engine with a Snapdragon 630 chip, which still has eight cores, but runs at a much-higher clock rate of 2.2GHz , consequently putting itself closer to the fastest Android phones on the market versus its predecessor. Alongside its CPU is a satisfactory 4GB LPDDR4 RAM and either a 64GB or a 32GB internal memory expandable by a maximum of 128GB , the latter sounding reasonable as well, given its mix of mid- and high-end pros and cons.

Stamina-wise, this 5.5-incher is powered by a 3000mAh battery that claims to recharge to up to 50% of its capacity in just 30 minutes of charging. Together with the aforementioned specs, it is housed inside an aluminum unibody married to a Gorilla Glass 3 screen finish .

All-in-all, the Nokia 6 2018 is not a major overhaul of its 2017 base model, but its upgraded CPU and revamped rear camera make it fit 2018 upscale Android buyers.